Reviews / Maguey Melate Espadin Chacaleño

Review · · by The Editors

Maguey Melate Espadin Chacaleño

Durango chacaleño espadín – a regional variant at 49%

Score: 3.5/5 agaves

Maguey Melate Espadin Chacaleño bottle
  • Producer: Maguey Melate
  • Maestro: Carlos Ángulo Rios
  • Region: El Platanar Topia, Durango
  • Agave: Chacaleño
  • ABV: 49%
  • Price: $60 ($)

Verdict

Chacaleño is an agave most drinkers won't meet and Carlos Ángulo Rios gives it a credible first introduction – hunt it if you've been mapping the espadín family beyond angustifolia. Closer to Amaras' Durango Logia work than any Oaxacan espadín; the state's character shows. A regional education bottle.

Durango espadín isn't Oaxaca espadín – Carlos draws the line clearly

Tasting notes

Nose: Hot hay, pine, dry citrus, warm earth

Palate: Carlos Ángulo Rios works with chacaleño, a Durango espadín variant, at 49% through copper – the northern character shows in the piney lift, the agave reads slightly drier and more herbal than Oaxacan espadín

Finish: Dry, resinous. Long

The bottom line

Regional espadín worth the hunt for mapmakers

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